Summer 1
In literacy we have tied our learning with our science unit on plants. We planted some seeds and then wrote a set of instructions for others to use. We enjoyed this as it wasn’t a traditional way to plant a seed, so we had to ensure we included lots of detail to avoid any confusion. We also wrote a recipe, including instructions, for how to make the perfect King, based on the historic coronation. We pretended we were Kings and Queens for the day and wrote a story of what we would do if this were to actually happen. These were very funny to read to each other! We then read the traditional tale ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and wrote a recount of the story in as much detail as we could, concentrating on including the elements of a super sentence and improving our writing by adding adjectives and different types of punctuation.
In maths, year 1 children learnt about a range of things this half term. We started off with multiplication and division where we counted in 2s, 5s and 10s, recognised and added equal groups, made arrays and doubles, and looked at grouping and sharing. We then moved onto fractions. We recognised and found half and a quarter of objects, shapes and quantities. Position and direction were up next. We described turns and positions using vocabulary such as, left, right, forwards, backwards, above and below, and looked at ordinal numbers. We finished off with money, where we recognised coins and notes and counted in coins. Year 2 children learnt about fractions. In this unit we learnt to recognise and find: a half, quarter, third, two-quarters and three-quarters. We also looked at unit and non-unit fractions and counted up in fractions to a whole. We revised a variety of maths skills in preparation for our SATs papers.
We moved onto a new unit in science about plants. We started off by learning how seeds grow into plants. We then used a variety of materials to create our own plants to show their basic parts – roots, stem, leaves, petals and pollen – and then went on a walk outside to learn about the basic parts of a tree – roots, trunk, branches and leaves. We learnt about different plants growing in the same environment and categorised and sorted plants based on this. We went for another walk around the school grounds to look at the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees. This is something we had already looked at when learning about the changing seasons at the start of the year. Finally, we looked at how fruit trees and vegetables are varieties of plants by looking at examples at different stages of the plant life cycle. For example, we cut open fruit to look for seeds. We also planted our own runner beans and green beans in a different environment to investigate what happens over a period of time. We wrapped the seeds in damp cotton wool and put them in a (plastic bag) special greenhouse we each created. We watered them often and found the seeds still grew even though they weren’t planted in soil like we thought they needed.
In history, we are learning about the 1960s for our ‘changes’ unit. We started off by looking at a timeline to see significant events that happened in each decade from the 1960s until now. We had to learn what a decade was and count in tens from the 1960s to now. We created a human timeline of these events, such as the 1969 moon landing, the London eye being opened in 1999 and the Coronavirus pandemic beginning in 2020. We also looked at significant events that have happened within the 1960s – England winning the world cup, the first heart transplant and Martin Luther King’s famous speech in 1968. So far, we have looked at the differences between the 1960s and now with food, fashion and music (The Beatles).
Our question for this term in RE is ‘What do Christians (believers) believe that God is like?’. We started off by looking at the Holy Trinity to understand the three different parts of God and the names for God within the Bible. We then linked what we knew about God to our core values, thinking about why God would encourage us to show them and different ways He has shown them in Bible stories and parables we are familiar with. We looked at stories such as: Jonah and the Whale, the Parable of the Lost Son and Noah’s Ark. Each one taught us something about God and the way in which God is portrayed to Christians.
Our focus in PSHE was ‘What can help us grow and stay healthy?’. We looked at the different things that help our bodies to be healthy, including food and drink, physical activity, sleep and rest. Dental health was something else we learnt about when thinking about th4e amount of sugar we consume on a daily basis. We looked at how to be physically active and how much rest and sleep we should have everyday to keep our bodies happy and healthy. We learnt that there are different ways to learn and play and how to know when to take a break from screen-time. Finally, we looked at how sunshine helps our bodies to grow and how we can stay safe and well in the sun.
In PE, we have continued looking at football due to an upcoming competition in the second half of the summer term. We have revised the basic skills, such as dribbling, passing and shooting and have moved onto using these skills in pairs and small groups before playing games with a larger group of children. It taught us that we have a lot of different things to remember at once, so we have been trying hard to multi-task! We also completed some athletics with Soccerstars to prepare us for sports day where we participated in traditional races, such as the egg and spoon and running.
Summer 2
In literacy we have completed a mix of genres and tasks throughout the final half term. We focussed on the story ‘Jack and the Baked Beanstalk’. Before reading it, we used the front cover, to predict what we thought might happen in the story, considering it sounded like a story we are familiar with. After reading it through, we compared this story to the traditional tale ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. We looked at the similarities and differences of both using a Venn diagram. We then spent some time looking at leaflets and how they are used to provide the reader with information. We linked this to our history unit on the 1960s. We wrote a leaflet on how life has changed since the 1960s, again comparing by writing about the similarities and differences. This was a great way to end our history unit too because we had learned so much! We also looked at poetry towards the end of the term. This included summer shape poems. We read, learned and performed a poem we found really funny for the Oscars ceremony too.
In maths, year 1 children learnt about a range of things this half term. We began by looking at time, where we looked at: before and after; days of the week; months of the year; hours, minutes and seconds; telling the time to the hour and to the half hour. We then completed our maths for the year looking at place value. We learnt about: counting from 50 to 100; tens to 100; partitioning numbers into tens and ones; the number line to 100; 1 more and 1 less; comparing numbers with the same number of tens; and comparing any two numbers. Year 2 children started off by learning about statistics, making, drawing and interpreting: tally charts, block diagrams and pictograms. They then finished off learning about position and direction, looking at: using the correct language; describing movement and turns, and shape patterns with turns.
We continued our science unit on plants, this time looking at the year 2 curriculum. We looked at the difference between seeds and bulbs, which was a recap due to the link with the year 1 unit in the previous half term. We designed an experiment to find out what plants need to grow by planting seeds in different conditions. For example, each plant was missing one of the following: carbon dioxide, sunlight, water, soil. We compared this to a control plant that had everything a plant usually needs to grow. We regularly kept track of the plants and each week we drew pictures of how our plants were developing to help us achieve the end point of describing what plants need to grow and stay healthy. We then looked at the life cycle of a plant, watching various videos and examining pictures. We then drew pictures of each stage to create our own life cycles. We finished off the unit by understanding that plants adapt to suit their environments. To do this, we looked at plants in various habitats. For example, woodlands, oceans, deserts, beaches etc.
We continued our history unit on the 1960s. We continued comparing the 1960s to now by looking at the similarities and differences in a range of areas. We used videos, pictures, artefacts and real-life examples to do this. We researched and learned about toys, transport and schools. We then finished off the unit by creating a leaflet comparing the 1960s to now and how life has changed.
We continued our question for this term in RE, which was ‘What do Christians (believers) believe that God is like?’. We used more stories, such as Daniel and the Lion’s Den and Moses and the Burning Bush to help us answer this question. Again, each one taught us something about God and the way in which God is portrayed to Christians. We also learnt about the ten commandments and the importance of these to Christians. We looked at the order of them and in groups, decided which were the most important to us.
Our focus in PSHE was ‘How do we recognise our feelings?’. We looked at: how to recognise, name and describe a range of feelings; what helps us to feel good, or better if not feeling good; how different things/times/experiences can bring about different feelings for different people (including loss, change and bereavement or moving to a new class/year group); how feelings can affect people in their bodies and their behaviour; ways to manage big feelings and the importance of sharing our feelings with someone we trust; and how to recognise when we might need help with feelings and how to ask for help when we need it.
In PE, we have practised a variety of skills. We continued with football for a short period of time to help with an upcoming Soccerstars competition we had. We participated in whole-school competitions after consolidating our learning in the following areas: athletics, bat and ball skills, and football in support of the Women’s World Cup.
